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2024 Best Value Colleges for Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering in California

11 Ranked Colleges
1,275 Degrees Awarded
$16,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering is the 102nd most popular major in the country with 7,996 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

Across California, there were 1,275 aerospace & aeronautical engineering graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California” ranking looked at 11 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in aerospace & aeronautical engineering. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great aerospace & aeronautical engineering programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the aerospace & aeronautical engineering program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering in California

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2024 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 87 ’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UCLA also made our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $15,023 for california aerospace engineering students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at University of California - Los Angeles

2

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #2 spot on the list. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s aerospace engineering degrees to 110 students in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” list. It costs about $20,677 for california aerospace engineering students per year to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California list. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 143 ’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSD also made our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $15,240 for california aerospace engineering students per year to attend University of California - San Diego.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - San Diego Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Report

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s aerospace engineering degrees to 73 students in 2020-2021.

CSULB also made our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $10,054 for California Aerospace Engineering students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full California State University - Long Beach Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 86 ’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $15,768 for california aerospace engineering students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at UC Davis

6
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California ranking, coming in at #6. San Jose State is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 71 ’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $16,542 for California Aerospace Engineering students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full San Jose State University Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Report

7

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California ranking. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a public institution located in Pomona, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 101 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly Pomona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $14,304 for california aerospace engineering students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Read full report on Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

8
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California ranking. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school awarded 90 degrees to qualified ’s aerospace engineering students in 2020-2021.

SDSU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $13,845 for California Aerospace Engineering students.

With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at San Diego State University

9

With a ranking of #9, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California list. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 85 ’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Irvine also took the #7 spot in our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $12,209 for California Aerospace Engineering students per year to attend University of California - Irvine.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at UC Irvine

10
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

With a ranking of #10, Stanford University did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California list. Stanford University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 93 ’s aerospace engineering degrees in 2020-2021.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $12,894 for california aerospace engineering students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at Stanford University

11
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California landed the #11 spot on the 2024 Best Value Aerospace Engineering Schools in California ranking. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 167 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

USC also made our “Best Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $32,569 for california aerospace engineering students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering at University of Southern California

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